CoMody: Everything Is Terrible

February 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

So, the above happened Thursday evening in the Ragtag Theater.

What did you miss? There were dancing and singing dogs being chased by an evil dog catcher. Plus, the video footage featured the most post-modern look at late 80′s VHS you’ll ever find.

At times, it was slow, but the genius behind Everything Is Terrible is the amazing volume of video snippets they can put together to make some mashup that somehow demonstrates how absurd  the world really is, particularly the time I was growing up.

It was nice to have the minds behind the site here in CoMo to share some of their not-safe-for-the-net avant-garde video commedy. You should have been there, but you can still catch the rest of their act at the EIT site.

Filed Under: CoMo Arts and Music, CoMo Film, Comody, Misc CoMo Tagged With: ,

CoMo Weekend 1/6-8

January 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Image by Rebecca Allen

In case you missed the Globetrotters last night, there’s still plenty to do this weekend. At the Ragtag alone, one could fill an entire weekend and not see the same film twice. So, let the good times roll!

Friday the 6th

  • Cheap champagne! – Due to over stocking for the holidays, Hy-Vee Conley (by Sam’s Club) has an abundance of champagne inventory. Starting Friday, January 6th and running thru January 8th, the store is offering an additional 5 percent off your purchase of 6 bottles or more on selected varieties. Stock up for that party, wedding or Valentine’s Day that is just around the corner.
  • Mercer & Johnson, The Harrows at Mojo’s; doors 8:30/show 9:30 ($3) – Get your hillbilly on Friday night as a couple knee-slappin’, string-playin’, whiskey-drinkin’ bands take the stage at redneck rates ($3) and turn Mojo’s into the barn it wishes it were. [Link]
  • Members Only, Disengaged at The Blue Note; doors 8:30/show 9:30 ($6) – Dig up your Members Only jacket (or leave yours on, hipster) and moonwalk down to the Blue Note for some retromania. The band’s description tells you all you need to know:

Members Only is the nation’s premier 80′s cover band, playing your favorite hair and pop classics from the decade that gave us the Rubik’s Cube, Atari, and feathered bangs! Members Only has been playing regionally since the “Summer of 69″ (no wait, 2008) with experienced musicians Brent Thornton on lead vocals, Sam Adkins on bass guitar, Will “The Prodigy” Clark on the keys, Seth Jaeger and Zach McClease playing guitar, and Justin Gabossi keeping the beat on the drums. With a high energy show and songs you know and love, Members Only is guaranteed to get you dancing and singing along all night!

  • Sean Kent at Deja Vu Comedy Club; Fri.-9 PM/Sat. 8 & 10 PM ($8) – Sean Kent is a two-time cancer survivor. So, for that reason alone, you should give him a chance to make you laugh. That and he’s pretty funny. Check his Twitter feed for a sampling.
  • Ragtag (Adults $8, Seniors/Children $6.50, Member $5) - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (3:15, 6:00, 8:45); My Week with Marilyn (5:00); Le Havre (7:15); Young Adult (9:30)
Saturday the 7th
  • Spindle Spinning 101 Workshop at Access Arts; 9 AM-noon ($20) – This three-hour workshop is open to anyone interested in learning how to spin on a hand spindle or wanting to improve their skills. The workshop will start simple and let attendees work through the basics. A variety of spindles and plenty of wool roving will be available for participants to try.  Enrollment is limited, so there will be lots of individual attention from instructors. The workshop fee is $20, which includes instruction, use of equipment and materials. For more information, visit schoolofservice.orgor call 875-0275.
  • Jack Grelle at Mojo’s; doors 9/show 10 ($2) – Get more beard per dollar Saturday night as Missouri boy Jack Grelle shares stories of the roads and people of the Show-Me State. [Link]
  • Ragtag (Adults $8, Seniors/Children $6.50, Member $5) - My Week with Marilyn (12:00, 7:15); Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (12:30, 3:15, 6:00, 8:45); Young Adult (2:30, 9:30); Le Havre (5:00)
Sunday the 8th
  • Brunch at Broadway Brewery; 10:30 AM-2 PM - Start your week off right with a rotating selection of seasonally delicious brunch options, and indulge with a custom cocktail from our Build-a-Bloody Buddy Bar. Of course, once you’re done eating, you make a day of it and drink some beer while listening to some Blue Grass into the evening.
  • Ragtag (Adults $8, Seniors/Children $6.50, Member $5) –  Young Adult (11:30am, 9:00); Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (12:00, 2:45, 5:30, 8:15); My Week with Marilyn (2:00, 6:45); Le Havre (4:30)

Filed Under: CoMo Arts and Music, CoMo Film, CoMo Weekend, Comody, CoMusic, Feed Me CoMo, Misc CoMo, What's Going On in CoMo Tagged With: , , , , , ,

CoMody: Neil Hamburger at Mojo’s

November 8, 2011 By 1 Comment

Do you like comedy? If you do, you probably didn’t attend Friday’s Neil Hamburger gig at Mojo’s. The anti-comic’s anti-comic was there to makes us uncomfortably laugh with Britney Spears jokes, the clearing of his throat, and spilled drinks everywhere.

I don’t know what it is about Hamburger, brilliantly played by Greg Trunkington, but his act is so awful that it’s good. And you’re not laughing at him out of pitty. There’s a retro touch that takes you back to the days when lounge singers would drunkenly give comedy a try and fail miserably. Hamburger is the sad opener for Tony Clifton in his prime. I’m talking about the “real” Tony Clifton, of course.

Have I completely turned you off on Neil Hamburger? That’s not my intention as his schtick is genius. The timing always seems off, but its consistently off on purpose due to whatever is always stuck in his throat and the three drinks he cradles in his arm. A Neil Hamburger performance is unique in every way. It’s so bizarre and awkward, you’re forced to laugh out of a loss of any other reaction.

Hamburger brought his A-game Friday. Jokes were nailed. I rolled on the floor. The openers were forgotten. If you didn’t go, you missed out on a brand of humor you won’t find anywhere else. Or until Neil Hamburger graces our college town with his presence once again.

As hinted before, there were openers. Local Diggy Splash and his troupe put on some skits and a few individual bits. The jokes ranged from terrible to silly to groan-inducing. At times, this group really gets anti-humor in a way that the headliner’s get it, but sometimes silly just won out. Honestly, Diggy ought to change his moniker to something more Biblical and work on his Jesus-holding-a-drink routine, but what do I know? I like anti-humor.

Touring with Hamburger is JP Incorporated. JP sings awful songs about fictional sit-coms and consumer products, playing on the current retromania that’s all over the place. Loud graphics and semi-obscene imagery assist the man in the fake beard as he sings about Jazzbot Xtreme and Crap Factory. It’s an odd but entertaining act for sure. So, a perfect opener for a Neil Hamburger set.

Filed Under: Comody Tagged With: , , ,

CoMo Weekend: 11/4-6

November 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Another long work week, another weekend. Here’s where you can be sure to find the Collective hanging out this weekend.

Friday, November 4

  • Neil Hamburger at Mojo’s; doors open at 8:00 (tickets $10) – Do you like comedy? Then, this might not be the gig for you. Hamburger brings his own comedic style to Mojo’s this Friday evening. Be prepared to groan, wince, and maybe even laugh now and again. Take a look (NSFW)…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnoj-3mIlVw

  • The District Holiday Shop Hop, 5-8 PM, downtown (free) – It’s that time of year again when we preempt the holiday season with an evening of shopping at our favorite local retailers. Downtown will be festive and Vox Talk has a list of those shops with special deals all evening.
Saturday, November 5
  • Yards & Gods Third Annual Fall Ball at East Side Tavern – Ben Chlapek will have the full details in an upcoming preview.
  • Someone Still Loves you Boris Yeltsin at Mojo’s 8:30 ($7) – Our regular visitors from Springfield return, supporting their latest Polyvinyl release, Tape Club. A taste:

Sunday, November 6

  • Daylight Savings – Remember to “fall back” this Sunday and set your clocks back one hour. We should all celebrate an extra hour of sleep by staying out an hour later on Saturday!
  • Brunch at 44 Stone – The latest to join the brunch party in CoMo is calling your name. Just imagine copious amounts of British-style breakfast treats and that greatest of all hangover cures (your morning beer) to get you through the weekend!
All Weekend
  • Being Elmo: A Pupeteer’s Journey – This doc covers the story of the puppeteer of one of Sesame Street’s most popular characters of the last two decades. It opens Friday at 5:30 and 7:30 and runs throughout the weekend.
What else is going on this weekend, CoMo? Let us know what you’re doing in the comments.

Filed Under: CoMo Weekend, Comody, What's Going On in CoMo Tagged With: , , , , , ,